Athens – Katakolon (Olympia) – Kefalonia – Corfu – Bari – Santorini
In April 2026, we will take a cruise from Athens on the MSC Sinfonia. We will visit several locations in Greece and also make a stop in Italy, specifically in Bari. After a few cruises on larger boats, we are opting for a smaller ship again this time. The larger ships are more modern and have more facilities, but they are also so much busier. On this trip, we notice once again that a smaller boat suits us better. At no point do we have to search for a sun lounger by the pool or wait long for a table at the buffet. So, we prefer this package!
Three days before departure, we fly from Brussels to Athens. It has been 30 years since I last visited this city myself. The children have never been there. So, we are going on a two-day city trip first before boarding the boat. You can find more information about our city trip in my post about Athens.
We take a taxi from the hotel to the port of Piraeus. That costs us €30. There are cheaper options, such as the bus and metro, but that requires changing buses. That is not very easy with suitcases. Moreover, we have to board at 10:00 AM. Compared to previous cruises, boarding goes surprisingly smoothly. We get through all the checkpoints in fifteen minutes. The reason for this is probably that Athens is not considered the main departure port for this cruise. There are many more guests starting the cruise in Bari. So, boarding there will undoubtedly take more time.
At 11 am, it turns out our cabin is already ready. We do have to wait a few hours for our luggage, but we are prepared for that. We brought our swimwear in our hand luggage, so we can head straight to the pool. After a stop at the buffet, of course. Since most guests are exploring Athens, it is very quiet by the pool. It feels like we are the only ones on the boat. A very pleasant experience!
The first stop of our cruise is Katakolon. From there, you can visit the archaeological site of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. MSC organizes a trip there and charges €90 per person for it. Since our daughters are 15 and 17, they are no longer considered ‘children’ for excursions. So, they pay the full price. For our family of four, we would therefore pay €360. There must be a cheaper option! I do some research beforehand and read that there is a train and a bus going from the port to Olympia. However, once there, there is no sign of that train. We do find a bus quite quickly that can take us to Olympia and back for €8 per person. A bargain! It is a ride of just over half an hour in a comfortable bus. We leave around 9 am and can choose between 1 pm, 1:30 pm, or 2 pm for the return trip. We don't have to decide that in advance, just be back at the stop on time. Very easy! From the bus stop, it is about a 10-minute walk to the entrance of the archaeological site. Adults pay €20, young people under 25 are free. With our ticket, we can also visit the archaeological museum. At the site itself, we have to do a bit of searching at first. Of course, we don't have a guide with us, so it is not immediately clear to us what we definitely need to see. By searching the internet for a moment, I quickly find a site where all the sights are discussed in the order of the visit. This way, we see everything we need to see: the gymnasium, the temples of Hera and Zeus, the ancient stadium and much more. We end our visit at the archaeological museum. The highlight there is mainly the Hermes of Praxiteles, but there are all kinds of interesting finds from the site. Around 1:30 PM, we are back at the bus stop, where we just have time to eat an ice cream. We arrive at the ship a little after 2 pm. A very successful trip! We ended up paying €72 for the whole day. That is considerably less than the €360 we would have paid to MSC.
The next day we stop in Argostoli on the island of Kefalonia, the setting for the film ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’. We set off on our own and first take a walk along the coast to a long bridge over the lagoon. Afterwards, we head into the town. There isn't much to see: a pleasant shopping street and a few outdoor cafes. My parents, who are traveling with us, took an excursion via MSC to a monastery. They found it worthwhile.
At the next stop, Corfu, we also decide to explore on our own. The boat provides shuttle buses to the old town center for a fee. If you are reasonably fit, this isn't actually necessary. We walk along the coastline for about twenty minutes and reach ‘the new fort’ and the old town without any trouble. We wander around the center for a bit and end up at the Liston Promenade and Spianada Square. A beautiful location, but quite busy. And this isn't even the high season yet… In July and August, it is undoubtedly much busier and incredibly hot here.
Stop number four is Bari, in Italy. Many guests disembark from the ship at this port. We are taking a trip to the famous trulli in Alberobello. Since this town is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Bari, we booked the trip through MSC. We don't want to risk getting into trouble and not getting back to the port on time. That is really not an option! We arrive at 9 am and that turnes out to be a good thing. The streets are still quiet, we can still enjoy the beautiful location and take plenty of photos. An hour later, the situation is completely different. The town is flooded with tourists. So, a good tip: Go early! The trip was certainly worthwhile. The trulli are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and we understand exactly why. The only downside of our trip was the guide. She had little understanding for people with mobility issues and walked very fast. My parents are getting on in years, there was a man with a broken leg in our group… It wasn't easy for those people to follow.
After a day at sea, we end our cruise on Santorini. Here, the ship cannot dock at the quay, but tenders take the guests ashore. From the quay, you have to climb 588 steps to reach the town of Fira. There are donkeys too, but we find it inhumane how those animals are driven uphill in the heat with heavy tourists on their backs. So we choose another option: the cable car. €10 per person one way, but certainly much more animal-friendly. Four years ago we visited Fira; now we want to do things differently. We have planned a hike to another beautiful town: Oia. The hike is just under 11 km and runs along the coast. Santorini is actually a submerged volcano and during a walk along the rim of that volcano, you have stunning views at every turn. It is, however, a tough trek with a lot of climbing and descending. At times, the ground is also uneven with a lot of gravel and stones. This walk is not suitable for strollers. It is not an option for people with limited mobility either. We successfully complete the walk in three and a half hours. We enjoyed the peace and the beautiful views. The walk is not very well marked with signposts. Especially when leaving Fira, it took a bit of searching to get on the right path, but actually it is simple: always keep the sea on your left and try to stay as close to the coast as possible. Then little can go wrong. In the center of Oia, you can take a bus back to Fira, a ride of about 20 minutes for €2.20 per person. To get back to the ship, we have to make the descent to the quay again. Going down those 588 steps is no problem at all.
I got a lot of info from the ‘Santorini Dave’ site. It is worth taking a look there:
After 7 days, our wonderful cruise has already come to an end. With a heavy heart, we disembark in Piraeus. I had read beforehand that there is a bus from the port to the airport, the X96. That was supposed to be the cheapest option. But… as it turns out... That bus doesn't go all the way to the cruise terminal. The bus departs from the ferries, a half-hour walk from the cruise ships. We don't feel up to that with our luggage. So we decide to take a taxi to the airport. It isn't cheap; we pay €110. But for a ride of more than an hour in a minibus for 6 people, that must be a more or less fair price. And convenience is worth something, of course.